Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

BeoutQ

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any threat posed by beoutQ, a pirate TV and streaming service based in Saudi Arabia; and whether any retail outlets selling the beoutQ set up box have been (1) charged, and (2) prosecuted for such sales.

lord henley: The Government has made no assessment of the threat posed by beoutQ and holds no information on whether retail outlets selling the beoutQ set up box have been charged or prosecuted for such sales.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Property

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many properties that they own abroad have been sold by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies since 2015; and what is the total revenue that they have received from such sales.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​From April 2015 to March 2019, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) sold 62 overseas properties for a total value of £531.9m, comprising of the sale of the Bangkok compound for £426.4m in FY 2017-18, with the remaining 60 properties amounting to £105.5m. There were no sales by FCO Agencies (Wilton Park and FCO Services).

Jamal Khashoggi

baroness kennedy of the shaws: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the government of Saudi Arabia has permitted access to British Embassy staff to the trial of those accused of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi authorities; if so, whether such staff are permitted to make a report of proceedings; and whether such staff were required to sign non-disclosure agreements to secure such access.

baroness kennedy of the shaws: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the individuals who have been put on trial in Saudi Arabia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi are in fact those who committed the murder.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK attends the trial as part of a group of international observers. We attend all trials of international concern where host governments permit us to do so. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on an ongoing legal process.

Burundi: Sanctions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of financial sanctions relating to Burundi.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The EU adopted restrictive measures, including the use of sanctions, against Burundi on 1 October 2015 following violence during the Presidential elections in 2015. These measures are a means of holding the perpetrators of human rights violations to account and encouraging both positive change in relation to political freedoms and inclusive political dialogue ahead of elections in 2020. Working with our international partners, the UK designs sanctions regimes, provides evidence for designations, and encourages cooperation to ensure that sanctions are used to achieve shared political goals, and that sanctions are properly implemented and enforced to secure maximum impact. The Office for Financial Sanctions implementation works to ensure that financial sanctions are properly understood, implemented and enforced in the UK.

Burundi: Sanctions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with other EU member states on the (1) imposition, and (2) maintenance of, sanctions against named individuals in Burundi.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The EU Heads of Mission last met in Brussels in November 2018 to discuss the EU's approach to Burundi. However, EU Burundi sanctions will be formally reviewed later this year.

Burundi: Sanctions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue financial sanctions on named individuals in Burundi after the UK has exited the EU.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​It is our intention to continue to deliver the same policy effect as existing EU sanctions after the UK has left the EU, including asset freezes imposed on named individuals under the current EU Burundi sanctions regime.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the communiqué from the government of Mauritius on 30 April that the UK’s actions over the Chagos Archipelago are “in flagrant disregard of the … conclusions of the International Court of Justice”; are “an affront to the rule of law”; and have perpetuated “a historically wrongful act vis-à-vis the forcibly evicted inhabitants of those islands.”

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​I refer to the statement I made on 30 April 2019, Official Report, col HLWS1491. An International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion is advice provided to the United Nations General Assembly at its request; it is not a legally binding judgment. The Government respects the ICJ and has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, however, we do not share the Court's approach. This and former Governments have expressed sincere regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed from the British Indian Ocean Territory in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Nutrition

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase investments made in nutrition made by the World Bank's International Development Association.

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make representations for nutrition to be prioritised during discussions ahead of the replenishment of IDA19 of the International Development Association.

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage investments in nutrition under the World Bank's Human Capital Project in order to (1) reduce rates of stunting, and (2) promote economic growth worldwide.

baroness sugg: We use our position on the World Bank Board, as the leading contributor to the International Development Association (IDA), to push for increased, high-quality World Bank investments in nutrition. For example, we worked with the World Bank as they designed the Human Capital Project to ensure the inclusion of nutrition as one of the Human Capital Index’s key indicators. We expect the Index and Project to have a positive impact on nutrition indicators and consequent impact on economic development. We have been advocating for the next IDA replenishment (IDA19) to increase support to human capital, including nutrition, across its key priorities, such as gender and fragility, conflict and violence. Under the current replenishment (IDA18), IDA plans to reach 180 to 200 million people with basic nutrition services, as a result of its growing portfolio of IDA investments in nutrition. We also work closely with the Bank as a partner in encouraging others to invest. To this end, we co-hosted a high-level event in 2017 alongside the World Bank Group to encourage the international community to make new commitments to nutrition. We are also working with the Bank on substantive preparations for the Tokyo Global Nutrition Summit 2020 which will be a critical moment to secure new global commitments to tackling malnutrition through to 2030.

Palestinians: Health

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will meet with Medical Aid for Palestinians and other non-governmental organisations working in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon and Jordan to discuss health problems affecting the population of those areas, following violence, blockades, and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East budgetary restraints.

baroness sugg: The UK regularly meets with a range of organisations to discuss healthcare for Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and surrounding countries, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UK has made a commitment to UNRWA of up to £80m over the next two years, to help provide medical services and education to Palestinian refugees living across the Middle East. The UK has also provided £3.5m of support to the International Committee of the Red Cross Appeal over the last year to help the healthcare system, particularly in Gaza.

Gaza: Contamination

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contamination by heavy metal weapon remnants in Gaza since 2009; and whether any research has been conducted into any relationship between such contamination and low birth weight in Gaza.

baroness sugg: The UK remains deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza and we continue to engage closely with the World Health Organisation, UN OCHA, MaP, and other health and humanitarian-based NGOs working in Gaza to ensure we are we are able to monitor the situation and humanitarian needs there. The Government has not made its own assessment of this specific issue. To help ensure hospitals in Gaza can continue to provide essential services on a range of health issues, we provided £1.5 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) OPTs Appeal in 2018, and a further £2m in 2019. This new funding will contribute to the delivery of surgical equipment, drugs and disposables, wound dressing kits, and rehabilitative prosthetics. It will also help provide physical rehabilitation services for up to 3,000 disabled people. The UK remains engaged on the challenges facing Gaza’s health sector and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Developing Countries: Childbirth

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 7 May (HL15313), when they expect the World Health Organisation will complete its review on the extent of the problem of women being detained because they cannot pay medical fees; and as a result when they expect to be able to provide an accurate assessment of the scale of this problem in countries in receipt of UK Official Development Assistance.

baroness sugg: The UK is deeply concerned that women are being detained because they cannot pay medical fees, including after childbirth complications. The WHO review will not be able to provide definitive numbers on the scale of this problem but will provide information on detention in hospitals for a policy brief that is expected by the end of 2019. DFID will ensure we respond to the policy brief. It will inform how we contribute to the long-term approach to promote financing reforms to benefit the poor and reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure.

Department for Education

Children's Rights: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to address the findings in the Children’s Rights Alliance for England report on the State of Children’s Rights in England in 2018, in particular in respect of the proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children deprived in three or more dimensions of deprivation compared to the proportion of all other children.

lord agnew of oulton: The government welcomes this report and we will continue to work with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Action Group to promote the importance of children’s rights across the government.Through the pupil premium, we are addressing low economic circumstances, which affects a high proportion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children. We have provided over £15 billion in pupil premium funding from April 2011 to March 2019 to help schools improve the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils.We are also focusing specifically on Gypsy, Roma and Travellers through a number of initiatives, including working with the communities in Opportunity Areas and prioritising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people in our £1.7 million investment in careers provision for disadvantaged young people. I am also very grateful to the noble Baroness Whitaker for chairing a new stakeholder group for my department aimed at ensuring that improvements to the whole school system take into account Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupil needs.

Children's Rights

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to thereply byLord Agnew of Oulton on 30 April (HL Deb, col 857), why they have not introduced a statutory obligation to conduct a child rights impact assessment for all law and policy decisions relating to children, as recommended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2016.

lord agnew of oulton: The government remains fully committed to children’s rights and ‘The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (UNCRC). It is important for all children – regardless of race, religion or abilities – to have equal civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. In Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1093, dated 20 November 2018, my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State reaffirmed the UK government’s commitment to the UNCRC. He also said he would give due consideration to the UNCRC when making new policy and legislation. This statement can be found in the following link and it is also attached: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-11-20/HCWS1093/. To this end, we have launched a ‘Child’s Rights Impact Assessment’ (CRIA) template, which can be found in the following link and is also attached: http://clientarea.skillset.co.uk/DfE/Childrens%20Rights_v0.3%20-%20Storyline%20output/story_content/external_files/CRIA%20template.pdf,and accompanying training for civil servants across Whitehall. We are also working with children’s rights experts to effectively promote the training and the CRIA template.



HL15465_PDF_Document
(PDF Document, 82.4 KB)




HL15465_PDF_Document
(PDF Document, 413.33 KB)

Primary Education: Assessments

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the education benefits for children and their families of the introduction of tests for children aged four.

lord agnew of oulton: The reception baseline assessment (RBA) will enable us to create school-level progress measures for primary schools which show the progress pupils make from reception until the end of key stage 2. Progress is an important measure - it will give schools credit for the important work they do with their pupils between reception and year 2 and will give parents better information about which schools may help their children to make the most progress. The RBA is not a test - it is a short, teacher-led assessment and it will provide practitioners with valuable one-to-one time with their pupils within the first few weeks of reception.We have worked closely with early years practitioners, schools and other education experts to develop the RBA, and continue to do so. All aspects of the assessment’s development have been informed by an extensive evidence base of early years research.

Primary Education: Assessments

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the implications of introducing tests for children aged four; and what their response has been to such representations.

lord agnew of oulton: Following positive feedback on the proposal made in the 2017 primary assessment consultation, we committed to introducing the reception baseline assessment (RBA) at the beginning of the reception year to form the baseline for primary school progress measures. The consultation received 4,165 responses including representations from headteachers, teachers, teaching unions and sector experts. A majority of responses demonstrated clear support for moving the baseline assessment to reception. It is important to note the RBA is not a test - it is a short, teacher-led assessment and it will provide practitioners with valuable one-to-one time with their pupils within the first few weeks of reception. The full consultation response is attached and can also be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644871/Primary_assessment_consultation_response.pdf. 



HL15471_PDF_document
(PDF Document, 364.79 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Court of Protection

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications have been made to the Court of Protection in each of the last three years; and what was the average time between the application being stamped and an order made in each of the last three years.

lord keen of elie: Information about the number of applications made to the Court of Protection is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018 In respect of the number of applications received in the three years specified in the question, the data are set out below: Applications to the Court of Protection1 January – 31 December 201832,0291 January – 31 December 201731,3321 January – 31 December 201629,711 Data showing the average time between the application being stamped and an order made could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Treasury

London Capital and Finance

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Treasury ministers or officials have been in discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) about theestablishmentby the latter of an independent review into the FCA’s supervision of London Capital & Finance; and why the terms of reference of the review and the identity of the independent reviewer have not yet been published.

lord young of cookham: This Government takes the failure of London Capital & Finance (LCF) and its impact on consumers very seriously. The independent investigation will seek to better understand the circumstances around the collapse of LCF and make sure we are properly protecting those who invest their money in the future.It is essential that the terms of the investigation are set in a way that ensures these objectives are met and take into account any issues arising from current regulatory and enforcement investigations. HM Treasury officials are working to develop these with the relevant bodies as a matter of priority. Further details on this investigation, including the appointment of the independent investigator, will be published shortly.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Sleeping Rough

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 165 per cent increase in rough sleeping since 2010; and what are the causes of this increase.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: There are many different reasons why an individual may sleep rough, and it is often a highly complex and unique situation. We are committed to alleviating all forms of homelessness and want to make sure we get to the root of the problem unique to every local authority, tackling the complex range of reasons why people are homeless. That is why localised funding and plans are so important to dealing with the issue, and we are determined to provide local authorities with tailored support for their specific challenges.Government commissioned independent research better to understand the causes of homelessness and rough sleeping. This was published on 25 March 2019 and can be (attached) found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/causes-of-homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-feasibility-study.No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.Through programmes such as the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) and the Rapid Rehousing Pathway, we are delivering services that get people the help they need, as soon as they need it. This has already made a real difference throughout the country with the RSI enabling local authorities to provide a number of services, including over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff in its first year, in collaboration with our expert rough sleeping advisers.More information on these programmes can be found on the gov.uk website at the (attached) following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-brokenshire-announces-30-million-immediate-support-for-rough-sleepers (Rough Sleeping Initiative 2018/19 funding) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/james-brokenshire-confirms-funding-to-help-people-off-the-streets (Rough Sleeping Initiative 2019/20 funding) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rapid-rehousing-pathway-2019-to-2020-funding-allocations (Rapid Rehousing Pathway) 



Independent research
(PDF Document, 1.29 MB)




2018/19 funding
(PDF Document, 28.48 KB)




2019/20 Funding
(PDF Document, 171.32 KB)

Sleeping Rough

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support rough sleepers with (1) alcohol, and (2) drug, dependency

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.This Government, and my Department, has policy responsibility for setting the national framework for homelessness and rough sleeping policy in England alone. It should be noted therefore that the interventions detailed in this response refer to England alone.In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff.We know that many rough sleepers have substance misuse needs, and also that rough sleepers can struggle to access the support they need to tackle substance dependency. As set out in the Rough Sleeping Strategy we are conducting a rapid audit of health service provision to rough sleepers, including mental health and substance misuse treatment; £2 million has been allocated to test community-based models of access to health services for rough sleepers, including substance misuse services, and new training is being made available for front-line workers to help them support rough sleepers under the influence of new psychoactive substances such as spice.We are also working across Government to ensure that rough sleepers who require treatment for substance misuse have access to the appropriate services. This includes working with the Home Office to ensure rough sleepers are considered in the forthcoming Alcohol Strategy, and continuing to support the forthcoming independent review of drugs policy, led by Dame Carol Black.

Derelict Land

lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, through data collected from brownfield land registers, of the number of homes that could be built on brownfield sites.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: All local planning authorities have now published a local register of brownfield land suitable for housing, bringing many more sites to the attention of house-builders, self-builders and investors.The information published by local planning authorities suggests that across England as a whole there are over 18,000 sites and over 26,000 hectares of land suitable for development, with capacity for one million homes.

Derelict Land

lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve "brownfield first" policies to ensure that suitable brownfield land is prioritised over greenfield sites in (1) local and strategic plans, and (2) planning decisions.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The updated National Planning Policy Framework, published in July last year, strengthened policy on the use of previously-developed land. It made clear that local authorities' strategic policies should make as much use as possible of brownfield sites in meeting development needs, and that planning policies and decisions should give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements. The Framework sets out a range of policies to help local authorities achieve this, including the use of minimum density standards for homes where appropriate.

Derelict Land

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of homes that could be built on brownfield sites in England.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: All local planning authorities have now published a local register of brownfield land suitable for housing, bringing many more sites to the attention of house-builders, self-builders and investors.The information published by local planning authorities suggests that across England as a whole there are over 18,000 sites and over 26,000 hectares of land suitable for development, with capacity for one million homes.

Social Rented Housing

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many social rented council houses have been converted to "Affordable Rent" in England since 2015; whether there has been a subsequent reduction in the housing stock of local authorities; and if so, what was that reduction.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The department does not hold data on tenure type changes, including conversions from social rent to affordable rent.The Regulator of Social Housing publishes information on the number of conversions of social rent to affordable rent for properties owned by Private Registered Providers only through their Statistical Data Return, which is (attached) available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releasesInformation on the stock of social and affordable rent owned by local authorities is available in section A of the Local Authority Housing statistics data, which can be (attached) found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data



SDR Data release
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.27 MB)




Local Authority Housing statistics
(Excel SpreadSheet, 1.43 MB)

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with parliamentary authorities about the construction of a Holocaust Memorial within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Regular discussions have taken place with officials from the parliamentary authorities over the last three years to keep them updated.

Ministry of Defence

Brunei: Armed Forces

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction by the government of Brunei of stoning as a punishment for gay sex, whether British military personnel proposed for secondment to British Forces Brunei are allowed to secure exemption from that secondment due to identifying as LBGT without financial or promotional penalty.

earl howe: We are confident we have protections in place with the Government of Brunei for all British Forces, associated UK civilians and their dependants relating to issues which might arise from the introduction of the new Sharia Penal Code. All British Forces in Brunei have also been instructed to heed FCO travel advice. Any individual requests for exemptions will be taken on a case by case basis.

Warships: Shipbuilding

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what legal obligation, if any, they are required to procure the building of the new Royal Navy supply ships through open international competition.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then Minister for Defence Procurement (Guto Bebb), in the House of Commons on 19 June 2018 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman) in response to Question 152792.



Royal Fleet Auxiliary
(Word Document, 28.17 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds: Pest Control

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the legal basis for the withdrawal at one day’s notice by Natural England of the general licences for bird control.

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have permitted Natural England to revoke general bird control licences before the result of any legal challenge to these licences is known.

lord gardiner of kimble: I refer the Noble Lord to the letter sent from the Chairman of Natural England to the Secretary of State www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-licences-for-controlling-wild-birds-letter-from-natural-england-chair-to-environment-secretaryNatural England has issued three new licences.Furthermore, the Secretary of State has now taken over ultimate decision making powers for general licences relating to the purposes covered by the three revoked general licences, recognising the scale of interest and concern that has been generated by the decision by Natural England to revoke the general licences that were in place prior to 25 April.

Home Office

Immigration Controls: France

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how much they have paid, to date, out of the UK's commitment of £45.5 million under the Sandhurst Treaty; (2) to whom any such payments have been made; and (3) whether they made any such payments to young and vulnerable refugees and migrants in France.

baroness williams of trafford: Under the Sandhurst Treaty, signed in January 2018, the UK government committed €50 million to implement projects agreed under the terms of the Treaty. This full funding package has now been allocated, and officials are in the process of making the final funding transfers. Payments have been made directly to the French Interior Ministry and its constituent bodies, or where necessary directly to organisations responsible for security infrastructure improvements.Payments have not been made directly to migrants. However, a portion of the Sandhurst funding has been utilised to support access to French domestic asylum services. £3.6 million was specifically allocated to funding the development of the Dublin and Dubs process to support transfers of eligible children to the UK, including training for those working with unaccompanied children, family tracing and targeted information campaigns.

Knives: Crime

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of knife crime offences in England and Wales in 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is very concerned about increases in knife crime and its impact on victims, families and communities. The latest statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on 25 April for the year ending December 2018 show an increase of 6 per cent in police recorded knife crime.The action we are taking to tackle knife crime is set out in our Serious Vio-lence Strategy and includes new legislation in the Offensive Weapons Bill to introduce Knife Crime Prevention Orders, to make it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private, and stopping knives being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online unless the seller has arrangements with a delivery company to verify age.We are also raising awareness among young people of the dangers of carrying a knife through our national media campaign - #knifefree – and supporting early intervention through the £22 million Early Intervention Youth Fund, which is already supporting 29 local projects, and we have also introduced the £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, which will be delivered over the next 10 years to support interventions with children and young people at risk of involvement in crime and violence, focusing on those most at risk. The charity Impetus, working in partnership with the Early Intervention Foundation and Social Investment Business, is now operating the Fund We also continue to support the police national weeks of action under Operation Sceptre.In addition, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Spring Statement on 13 March that there will be £100 million additional funding for the police in 2019/20 to tackle serious violence, including £80m of new funding from the Treasury. The majority of the investment will largely go towards supporting police forces most affected by the violence we are seeing, but the funding will also support Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies, including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach to preventing serious violence.

Detection Rates

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in the number of crimes solved by police.

baroness williams of trafford: The likelihood of a crime resulting in a charge and summons can vary for several reasons. Improved crime recording by the police has resulted in increased caseloads and a changing crime mix. These include more complex crimes which take longer to receive an outcome, such as domestic abuse or sexual offences.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 5 February (HL Deb, col 1428), whether they have conducted a full security assessment of the implications of siting the HolocaustMemorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens; if so, by whom; and whether any such assessment is available for scrutiny.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government funds a national network of Police Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs) to ensure owners, operators, and local authorities, are aware of terrorist threat methodologies and steps they can take to reduce their vulnerability to terrorist attacks. This includes the provision of advice and guidance on protective security measures to planners, designers and architects at significant new builds such as the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. A Metropolitan Police Service CTSA has been part of the security assessment process for the Holocaust memorial, working jointly with the other partners involved.Security advice, as part of planning policies in England, is provided through the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework and associated Guidance. On 12 July 2017, the Chief Planning Officer wrote to all local planning authorities to reiterate the role the planning system plays in ensuring appropriate measures are in place to help prevent terrorist threats. There is also a range of further Government advice and guidance available online, including the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure’s ‘Protecting Crowded Places: Design and Technical Issues’ guide.

Department for International Trade

Trade

lord bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) trade solely on WTO terms without any (1) bilateral, or (2) regional, trade agreements.

viscount younger of leckie: A full list of existing regional trade agreements and early announcements of planned trade agreements by World Trade Organization (WTO) members can be found using the attached documents in conjunction with the WTO Regional Trade Agreements database at this link: http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx. For the department to extract this information would incur disproportionate cost.



Regional Trade Agreements in force
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37.52 KB)




List of all early announcements made to WTO
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.54 KB)

Overseas Trade

lord bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many countries the UK currently trades solely with on World Trade Organization terms without any additional bilateral or regional trade agreements.

viscount younger of leckie: The UK currently trades with 24 WTO Member countries on purely WTO terms. In addition to this, the UK trades with 3 WTO Members (customs territories) on purely WTO terms. Therefore, the UK trades with 27 WTO Members on purely WTO terms.

Women and Equalities

Civil Partnerships: Heterosexuality

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the legislation implementing civil partnerships for opposite sex couples will come into effect.

baroness williams of trafford: The Civil Partnerships, Marriage and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019 requires the Government to make regulations that extend eligibility to form a civil partnership to opposite-sex couples by no later than 31 December 2019. The Government is working hard to ensure regulations are in place as place as soon as possible.